Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley Book Review

Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley
(Hardcover, Little Brown)
Rating:

Syrah's life is supposed to be easy. She is ridiculously rich, her father is famous, and she is snowboarding's new IT girl. Or at least, she was until she busted her knee in an avalanche. Now she's recovering from a broken heart and is afraid that she'll never regain her courage on the slopes. Her half-siblings don't have a single nice thing to say about her, and her best friend is MIA due to his new girlfriend's jealousy.

I have to admit that this book was only so/so for the first half. Syrah's predicament wasn't ringing true for me. The story of her "boyfriend" who broke her heart and caused her to ski in avalanche territory wasn't being explained. This made it difficult for me to get into her story, into her depression. But then, suddenly, it all came together when Syrah volunteers at a hospital with her friend. From this point on, Syrah becomes a strong character who wants to help change the world. She learns valuable lessons about family, friends, and how unimportant and how very important money can be. I'm giving it three stars because despite the slow start, I feel that this book is an essential read. It became a very personal book for me because Syrah organizes a bone marrow drive. I'm entered in the National Bone Marrow Registry and I strongly believe that everyone should consider doing so. In fact, there are several national drives that cover the cost of registering so that you don't have to pay anything.

Ok, I'm now getting off my platform. Here's another totally fun reason to read Girl Overboard - Syrah's name has an amazing explanation near the end. :-)

And if you can, check out Justina's tour with Olympic Gold Medalist Hannah Teter.

Think you have an idea that could make a big difference? Apply for a Go Overboard Challenge Grant from Burton Snowboards and Youth Venture, and you could win the chance to put your idea into action.